Sign Ups are Open for the Second Annual Chicago Open!
Please follow the link below to sign up! Before you sign up please make sure your USAW number is up to date and that you also provide us with your best total to date (in kilos!). There is NO qualifying total for this meet. We are only asking for your best training and or competition total so we can best determine the session start lists.

The event will cost 40 dollars. There will be NO separate youth and masters divisions. This will be an open meet. Awards will be given to the top 3 lifters in each weight class plus the best male and female weight lifters. Session start lists will be complied and released 5 days prior to the meet.

2015 is upon us and we have rolled out with a new and improved Barbell Club. We have options for experienced lifters and also for those brand new to weightlifting or weight training in general. Our Barbell Club will meet during the following times and dates. Email derek@chicagostrength.com to set up a free consult or to drop in to check out one of our sessions!
Mondays -
6pm - Weightlifting 101
7pm - Club Lifting/Advanced open lift

Starting November 10th 2014 we are opening up some new options for weightlifting! If you are interested in getting started let us know!
Option 1 - NEW OLYMPIC 101 CLASS
(Great for beginners, or crossfit athletes looking to improve their olympic lifts)

This class will meet on Mondays at 6pm, Wednesdays at 6pm, and Saturdays at 10am. NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH THE LIFTS IS REQUIRED TO START! Class members will work in small groups and be given instruction on proper technique and loading parameters. The program will include both olympic style weightlifting and also specific accessory work to build strength.

Option 2 - Chicago Strength Weightlifting Club
The club will meet on Tuesdays at 6pm, Thursdays at 6pm, and Saturday at 11am.

If you have experience with the lifts and are looking for a little more volume then drop in and lift with our club. We plan our training cycles around local and national competitions. This time is perfect for intermediate to advanced lifters to work in small groups. We have drop in rates available along with monthly memberships for weightlifting only.

The date is closing in! If you have any questions regarding the meet please feel free to give us a call.
1. Parking
All parking around the gym is street parking. No permit required and no meters. Keep a look out for no parking zones and or overhead doors. We have a ton of parking within the two blocks surrounding the gym

Cycle 2 ( 3 weeks ) for IL state meet 4/19/14
Here is an out line of what training will look like over the next 3 weeks. Wave training is something new we are going to try out on Tuesday nights. For the Snatch, 3 waves of 3 reps may look like this, Wave #1 90-93-96 Wave #2 95-98-101 Wave #3 10-103-106. I want to use this as a more controlled day with very few if any misses. Thursdays will be our max effort night off the blocks, but I will stop attempts at 3 misses for now.

We have 12 weeks now till the state meet. We are going to break that down into four, three week cycles. Here is a short break down of how this will looks. I will post the full work out each day here on the blog. If you are looking for individual programing for out side of class workouts let Derek or my self know and we can start right away.
Cycle 1:

After the Sayre Park meet were going to take this week to recover before starting training for the state meet April 19th in Matoon. This week you can do anything you like. I would recommend you squat at least twice this week just yo keep your leg strength up. Later on this week I will post the new program outline for training. Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you this week.

This is the end of our Bulgarian cycle. If anyone is still left standing its been two months with nothing but snatch, clean and jerk and squats. If you need to get some heavy lifting in before the meet try and do it Monday. Tuesday night make sure you are at training so we can all talk about openers and lift up to that, Then everything else you do will be lighter throughout the week. Thursday night we should all get to the gym and do some very light lifts and recovery work together then take Friday off. Plan of being at Sayer Park from 9am till about 6pm. Its going to be a full day with 3 sessions so bring food and drinks for before and after lifting. We have people lifting in each of the sessions so make sure as a team we stick around for everyones lifts. We have a lot of people that are a little banged up right now, make sure your backing off the weights now and doing everything you can to recover and heal up before Saturday.